Childcare centre learns from bad experience

PASIR GUDANG - The childcare centre in Kota Masai that was involved in a controversial video last year has taken measures to ensure that no children under its care are abused by its employees ever again.

Taska Permata 2 caretaker Shaherah Abd Malik, 40, said she now scrutinises the process of hiring workers at the centre, especially in terms of experience in looking after children.

She said what had happened last year was bad and an eye-opener for her, referring to the 74-second video that had gone viral on YouTube.

Two former workers had uploaded the video which showed them mistreating nine children at the centre.

The kids were shown with their limbs tightly wrapped in cloth and their mouths taped shut.

"I hope the video will not emerge again because I want to forget about its existence," Shaherah said.

But the video continues to be shared on Facebook despite punitive action having already been taken against both workers many months ago.

Shaherah said the two, both women in their early 20s, had no experience taking care of children and one was a newlywed at the time.

"Now I only hire middle-aged women, especially those who have a child of their own or with experience in childcare," she said.

She also has daily discussions with the children under her care and their parents to ensure that no children are being mistreated by any of the eight workers she currently employs.

"I am grateful for the support from the parents who place their children under my care, and who understand that the incident was not my fault.

"They trust me with their children and it is my responsibility to make sure that nothing bad happens to them while they are at the centre," Shaherah said.

A parent, who wanted to be identified only as Amelia, said her five-year-old son is comfortable at the centre and described Shaherah as a kind-hearted person.

"The centre did the right thing when it fired those workers and the authorities have also taken action against them," she said.

The former workers had initially said that they had restrained the children, aged nine months and below, to keep them quiet.

But later, they had claimed that they had wanted to defame the centre by uploading the video because they had been fired from their jobs.